Health at Every Size beats Dieters’ plan for good health

If you are a chronic dieter, you know that most diets don’t work in the long run. And if you are dieting to improve your health, you might consider this:
‘Behavior change and self-acceptance trump dieting hands-down when it comes to achieving long-term health improvements in obese women, according to a two-year study by nutrition researchers at the University of California, Davis. The findings suggest that significant improvements in overall health can be made, regardless of weight loss, when women learn to recognize and follow internal hunger cues and begin feeling better about their size and shape. Results of the study will appear in the June issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.’ Medical News Today

Here is the original article in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, June 2005, Vol. 105 no. 6. It’s a bit more complex than the condensed abstract for the consumer news, but is well worth reading.

Do your knees hurt?

"For each pound of weight lost, the knee will experience a fourfold reduction in load during daily activities, according to the results of a study published in the July issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. The authors suggest that this may be clinically meaningful in overweight and obese older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

"The most important modifiable risk factor for the development and progression of OA is obesity," write Stephen P. Messier, PhD, from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and colleagues. "Weight loss reduces the risk of symptomatic knee OA, and for obese patients with knee OA, weight loss and exercise are recommended by both the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism."

Medscape story here.